MLB commissioner talks Trump, pace of play, CBA, international draft and more

CBS Sports | Nov 9

The GM meetings are ongoing in Arizona, and the first significant hootenanny of the offseason provided MLB commissioner Rob Manfred with the chance to address several issues facing the sport.

Here's a sampling of what Manfred had to say on Wednesday regarding those various and sundry matters ...

On President-Elect Donald Trump

MLB of course relies heavily on international talent and thus as an industry is susceptible, for better or worse, to changes in immigration policy. Changes to immigration policy were of course central to President-Elect Trump's successful campaign for the White House.

Obviously, promises made on the campaign stump don't always yield policy changes, but Manfred sounds confident that no near-term upheavals are in the picture.

On the possibility of an international draft

The league is reportedly working to implement an international draft by 2018, and very likely the Players Association will go along with the idea in exchange for concessions elsewhere (mostly because an international draft won't directly affect its current membership in a negative way). It's a tall order, and it's likely to be very unpopular among those who stand to see their upfront earnings drastically limited. However, it seems to be a priority for Manfred.